A compound of the resinous materials, pigments, etc., used as a material for seals, as for letters, documents, etc.
Beeswax and later a mixture that included shellac and turpentine, used for sealing letters. Red was to be used only for business letter, other colors for social correspondence, and black for mourning.
fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters
Used to make moulded noses for teddy bears.
A man-made wax originally used for sealing documents, it was also employed for making realistic-looking teddy bear noses in the early years of manufacture, particularly in Germany. Malleable when hot, it is cooled to a hard finish. Use of sealing wax was discontinued in the teddy bear industry as it easily cracked.
Sealing wax was used to seal "letters close" and later (from about the 16th century) envelopes. It was also used to take the impression of seals on important documents, or to create a hermetic seal on containers. Now mainly used for decorative purposes, it was formerly used to ensure that the contents of the envelope were secure.
